Misunderstood
by Casey Jewels
Summary: Severus Snape's abuse at Hogwarts through the eyes of a young girl. Is being different really such a crime?


Disclaimer: I don't own Severus Snape or anyone else from Harry Potter. Ceraline and Cherie are mine.

Okay, this is different from what I originally planned it to be. At first this was just supposed to be a simple little oneshot told from a girl's POV about Severus Snape's sufferings at Hogwarts. And then I kind of expanded on the girl and… yeah…

Misunderstood

She watched them as they tormented the young boy. Why was everyone so cruel to him? He was just misunderstood. What made people think it was okay to be mean to those that were just a little bit different? She hugged her notebook closer to her. Why? She began to tremble as cries of pain filled the air. Why wasn't anybody helping him? A tear slipped down her cheek. She had to get away. She turned and ran. She ran and ran, not caring where she was going. She just had to get away.

_"Freak!"_

_"Monster!"_

_"Demon!"_

Seeing others being hurt always caused painful memories surface. Painful memories that she wished she could just forget.

_The pain… The tears… The hurt…_

She quickened her pace, but it was impossible to run from her memories.

_The door shook under the force of the blows. _

_"Open up, Demons!"_

_A young girl, not more than four, whimpered softly. She clung tightly to her mommy's leg. Her mommy was the only thing that was keeping her from bursting into tears._

_"Hush, Ceraline," her mommy, Cherie, whispered to her. "I won't let them get you." She pried Ceraline off of her leg and knelt down. Their matching glowing red eyes met. Ceraline's eyes grew bigger. Mommy's eyes were filled with fear. She had never seen her mommy scared before. "I need you to stay hidden and stay silent."_

_Ceraline nodded, too afraid to ask questions. The shouts were growing louder and more violent. The shouts scared her. What did the man want with her and Mommy? They hadn't hurt anyone. Did they just not like strangers? But why offer them a room at the inn if they didn't like strangers?_

_Mommy stood and shoved her deep into the closet. "Stay there," she hissed. Ceraline's world was filled with darkness as the door closed. What was going to happen to her and Mommy? She heard the sound of breaking wood and knew that the door to their room had fallen. She squeezed her eyes shut. The yelling and shouts grew louder as the mob entered the room. She heard her mommy scream in pain. Tears streamed down her cheeks. No… This couldn't be happening…_

_"She's dead!" one of the men shouted. "Find the demon child! She must not be allowed to escape!"_

_Ceraline's fangs slid forward and her nails grew into claws. The response was automatic. She was too young to control it yet. Her body was preparing for a fight. Her crimson wings, which poked out of her back and were similar to a dragon's, twitched. She wanted to spread them out, but there wasn't enough room in the small closet._

_She could hear the men tearing apart the room, searching for her. She whimpered softly and curled into a small ball. Why? Why did people hate them so? So what if they were a little different? Was being different such a great sin that others would kill you for it? She looked up in alarm as the closet door was thrown open._

Ceraline slowed to a halt, breathing heavily. She leaned against the cool castle wall and looked up at the sky. Seeing others being bullied always brought up that memory. But she wouldn't allow herself to dwell on it. The important thing was that she had escaped.

She slowly sank to the ground. Her thoughts turned back to Severus. He was a lot like her. Neither of them had friends. Neither of them had been raised by a loving and caring family. Both of them were different. Both of them were misunderstood. When she had first come to Hogwarts everyone had either picked on her or run away. Now everyone just ran away.

Ceraline opened her notebook to a blank page and grabbed her pen, which had been resting behind her left ear. She tapped her pen on the notebook, thinking. Her lips curved upwards in a smile. She knew what to do. Her pen touched the paper and she began to write.

Severus Snape sniffed softly and he felt his bruised cheek. His body was bruised and battered all over, but that was nothing compared to the pain he felt inside. Why did everyone hate him so much? Why? He was just a little bit different, that was all. The young boy was so consumed in his grief that he almost missed the small scrap of paper that lay a little to his right. To his surprise it had his name on it. Severus glanced around him, knowing this had to be another cruel joke. When he saw that there was no one around he bent down and picked up the note. He unfolded it to see that there were eleven words on it—two sentences. A small smile touched his lips, the first in a long time. He carefully folded the note back up and slipped it into his pocket. Then he began walking once again, but this time his steps were just a little lighter than before. When he reached the front doors of Hogwarts he paused and looked up at the sky. Softly, so that no one else could hear him, he whispered the words from the note.

"To most people different is bad. To me different is good."

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